Foregrounding the stories of secondary school students with disabilities

Abstract

In the context of the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular school settings, this article explores how narrative inquiry methodology supports the values and transformative practices in student voice research. As part of a larger study conducted over two years, four secondary school students with disabilities told stories of their experiences on the in-school and out-of-school landscapes: in this article, one student’s story is foregrounded. The researcher created dialogic spaces, so the students were able to talk about and reflect on these experiences as social actors within an ethic of caring. Issues of control and editorial power are acknowledged and addressed, enabling students to be reflective about their experiences. Results showed that contextual, as well as personal and social factors shaped the students’ friendships. The narrative inquiry process supported the students’ agency to make changes in their present and future lives.